Chapter 4

For a moment, I just stood there like an idiot, staring at him. My brain refused to process what I was seeing. Of all people in this world, it had to be him.

My first instinct was to turn around and leave, but my feet didn’t move. His eyes held me there. His gaze moved slowly from my face to my exposed chest, down to my legs, then back up again, calm, bold, and way too sure of himself.

I couldn’t blow this up. I had to remember why I was here. So I forced myself to walk further into the room, hips steady, even though every step felt like quicksand pulling me under.

I slid into the chair opposite him, crossing one leg over the other. The slit of my dress fell open shamelessly, baring skin I instantly regretted showing. Heat crawled up my neck, but I tilted my chin and said lightly, “Well… I didn’t know I’d hook up with my soon-to-be husband before even meeting him properly.”

His gaze dropped, slow and deliberate, trailing the length of my exposed leg. A faint smirk tugged at his lips as he stepped around the table and took the chair opposite me, leaning back with a casual ease. “Maybe this is destiny,” he murmured.

My stomach clenched. Great. Instead of scaring him off, I’d just handed him a weapon.

For a moment, silence filled the space between us. Then he leaned slightly forward and said, “So, tell me… is your name Rosie or Ivy? Because your father said your name is Ivy, but that night, you told me it was Rosie.”

My stomach flipped. My pulse shot up instantly.

“Uh…” I blinked, trying to think fast. “My father calls me Ivy,” I said, forcing a small smile. “My late mother used to call me Rosie. I… prefer Rosie.”

He watched me quietly, like he didn’t fully buy it, but he nodded slowly. “Rosie, then.” The way he said it with a calm, deliberate tone sent a small chill down my spine.

I cleared my throat and picked up the menu, pretending to study it. “So,” I said after a moment, “before we start pretending this is something serious, you should know… I’m not exactly the settling-down type.”

He arched his brow but said nothing.

“I do hookups,” I continued, keeping my tone casual. “That night at the hotel? I was supposed to meet someone else. I went into the wrong room. You were literally a mistake.”

He didn’t flinch. Didn’t even blink. Just smirked faintly and reached for his glass of whisky, taking a slow sip.

My fake confidence wavered. “Did you hear what I said?”

“Every word,” he said quietly.

“And?”

“And I’m still here.”

I stared at him with disbelief. “Wow. You’re not even mad? You’re supposed to call off the wedding and storm out or something.”

He chuckled in a low tone, resting his elbow on the table. “You’re really trying hard to get rid of me, aren’t you?”

I leaned forward, lowering my voice, trying a new angle. “I’m serious. I can’t stay loyal to one man. I’ll cheat on you. I’ll drive you insane. You’ll hate me in a week.”

He swirled the whisky in his glass, eyes locked on mine. “You talk too much for someone who’s not interested.”

I stared at him, completely thrown off. Nothing was working.

Fine. Time to step it up. I sat back, adjusted my dress, and deliberately pushed up my breasts, pretending to fix the neckline.“Alright,” I said, my voice light but dripping with fake confidence, “how about we just skip the small talk and go have one round in the bathroom? You know, for old times’ sake.”

I gave him a teasing smile. “I’m kind of… aroused down there.”

He didn’t even blink. “Okay,” he said, standing up.

I froze. “Wait, what?”

“You suggested it,” he said, voice low, eyes dark with amusement. “Let’s go.”

My mouth opened, but no sound came out. “I—uh—you didn’t even order food. I’m hungry,” I blurted. “You’re not even a gentleman.”

His lips curved faintly. “What would you like to eat, Miss Rosie?”

I grimaced at the name. “Whatever’s expensive,” I muttered.

He signaled to the waiter. “Bring her whatever she wants. And make it quick.”

When the waiter left, I ordered half the menu out of pure spite, appetizers, pasta, steak, dessert, and even a bottle of wine I couldn’t pronounce. He didn’t say a word, just leaned back and watched me, quiet amusement playing at the corner of his mouth.

“What?” I snapped.

“Nothing,” he said softly, but his eyes said otherwise. They were calm, steady, and far too focused on me. It was like he was seeing right through every trick I was trying to pull.

I leaned back in my chair, exhaling sharply. “You’re impossible.”

“I know,” he said simply.

I rolled my eyes. “This is ridiculous.” I grabbed my purse. “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”

In the bathroom, I locked myself in a stall and pulled out my phone, dialing Ivy.

She picked up on the second ring. “How’s it going?”

“Ivy,” I hissed. “You won’t believe this. It’s him. That guy from the hotel. The one I told you about. The one-night stand.”

There was a pause, then, “You’re kidding.”

“I wish I was. I tried everything, flirting, acting wild, even suggesting a bathroom quickie, but he’s not reacting! He just sits there, smirking, drinking his whisky like some smug king.”

Ivy was quiet for a second, then said, “Okay, listen. This is perfect. If he already knows what kind of person you are, it’ll make him call the wedding off faster. Keep going. Push harder.”

“Ivy, this is humiliating—”

“Rosie, please. You’re almost there. Just… survive this dinner and make sure he doesn’t want you or me. Please.”

Before I could argue, she hung up.

I groaned, staring at my reflection. “Almost there,” I muttered. “Just one more push.”

I took a deep breath, fixed my lipstick, and walked back out.

He was still sitting there, calm as ever, his phone now on the table beside his glass. His gaze found me the moment I stepped in.

“You know,” he said, his voice low, “you don’t have to keep pretending. I know you’re not Ivy.”

The blood drained from my face. My lips parted, but no words came out.

 “What are you talking about?” I managed to ask.

He tilted his head, smiling faintly. “I’ve seen Ivy’s picture. I knew the moment you walked in that you weren’t her. But I decided to see what kind of woman would take her place.”

I blinked, stunned. “So you knew this whole time?”

He nodded, his voice softened slightly, eyes never leaving mine. “I’ll call off the wedding with Ivy.”

“Good,” I said quickly, standing up.

“But I’ll marry you instead.”

I froze mid-step. “What?”

He smiled slowly. “You’re more interesting.”

I stared at him, too stunned to form words. Then anger kicked in. “You can’t just say things like that. You don’t even know me!”

“I’d like to,” he said, calm as ever.

I grabbed my purse. “Well, I’m not interested.”

He chuckled quietly. “We’ll see.”

I turned and walked out, my heart pounding so hard I could barely breathe. I didn’t stop until I was outside, gulping down the cool night air.